Monthly Archives: January 2012

Assistant football coaches Tosh Lupoi and Eric Kiesau arrived at
Washington from Cal with a reputation for being outstanding
recruiters.

Since they’ve only been on board a couple of weeks, you’d think
it would take a year or so before they’d starting making an
impact.

Wrong.

Two players who previously committed to Cal —safety
Shaquille Thompson from Sacramento and wide receiver
Jordan Payton from the Los Angeles area — are following the Cal
coaches to Washington.

Thompson announced last night that he was going to be a Husky,
and Payton made his announcement on ESPN about an hour ago.

That says a lot about the trust factor that those players have
in Lupoi and Kiesau. They’re clearly picking Washington because of
the recruiters. The school, the academics, the history of the
program, the teammates, the fans, hell, maybe even the head coach …
it likely had nothing to do with their decision to head north to
Seattle.

Payton admitted on TV that he never considered Washington until
the last two weeks.

Personally, I dislike the recruiting game and how it’s evolved
over the years. In the early 1990s, I met with sports editors form
other Scripps Howard newspapers in Cincinnati. When talked turned
to coverage of high school recruiting, I voiced my opinion, telling
everybody that we were helping create a monster and I wondered if
anybody really cared about wall-to-wall high school recruiting
coverage.

Of course, the editors from Memphis, Knoxville and other
southern papers looked at me like I was nuts. Anything to do with
college football, including the recruitment of high school
athletes, was fair game.

And it’s bigger now than it ever was. In fact, can the coverage
get any bigger? How do you top what news outlets are doing now?
Dawgman.com and sites like it overload us with information, or
those who choose to follow this insane — and at times unhealthy —
process.

ESPN’s going to have nine hours of coverage on signing day,
which is Wednesday, Feb. 1. Nine hours. Five stars, four stars,
three stars, two stars, no stars, they’ll be all over it. They only
devoted 3 1/2 hours today.

You can find rankings for every college in the country on what
kind of recruiting class they produced. Every top recruit is rated.
Zach Banner, the offensive tackle who picked USC over
Washington and Oklahoma, is rated the 15th-best offensive lineman
in the country. For what it’s worth, I think the Trojans have
commits from three other O-linemen rated higher.

I just looked up and ESPN ranks Washington’s current crop of
verbal commits No. 9 in the Pac-12. And that includes
Thompson, who is a 5-star, and Payton, a 4-star recruit. Thompson’s
the third-best safety in the land, and Payton’s the 21st best
receiver. Wait a minute, I thought Thompson was the No. 1 safety.
Oh, that was another recruiting service.

So if Washington’s got the No. 9 class in the Pac-12, that’s not
very good is it? Maybe, maybe not. Check back in three years
and see how it pans out. That’s when you’ll really know if the
class was any good or not.

AP just confirmed my thoughts. Here’s the lead to a story it
just filed:

During college football’s signing day Wednesday, coaches and
fans will agonize over those 25 or so guys pledging to each
school.But how those recruiting classes make their mark on the field
in a few years will often look very different from those tidy lists
released by teams. Consider the consensus top five hauls in 2007:
Florida, USC, Tennessee, LSU and Texas. An analysis by The
Associated Press shows that, of the 123 high school players who
sent in letters to those programs on signing day, only 59 (48
percent) were still on the teams’ rosters as seniors.Some turned pro early. Some never made it to campus. Many
departed at some point for a variety of reasons: disciplinary
problems, academics, injuries, or lack of playing time.

Remember Benji Olson and Tony Coats, the dominating South Kitsap
linemen who became Huskies. Coats was the high school All-American
who all of the recruiting gurus drooled over. Olson was the guy who
earned All-American honors in college and went on to an outstanding
NFL career.

A lot these so-called four and five star players
will never live up to the hype. Some of them will transfer to other
schools because they’re not seeing the playing field. Other will be
average college players, some might even wash out.

What we do know for sure, as it relates to Washington, is that
Lupoi and Kiesau must really be good at what they do. They’re
personable young coaches who can relate to young players, and I’m
guessing, their parents. You win the parents over, and it’s a lot
easier to win the kids over.

Will Thompson and Payton be Washington’s two headline recruits
this year?

Nah.

I think it’s become pretty clear that the two best recruits were
hauled in by head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Like a lot of you, I couldn’t make it out of my driveway today.
I’ve got a pretty long and steep hill to climb out of and only made
it about three-quarters up when my car, which has all-wheel drive,
started sliding off the road. Tried twice and got the same
results.

Fortunately for me (or unfortunately depending on how you look
at it), I was able to hook a ride with a neighbor, who buzzed up
the hill and dropped me off at work.

My boss said he’ll give me a ride home, so I won’t be taking a
midnight stroll on the slick stuff.

Speaking of snow, here’s a plug for the latest Art Thiel column.
The former P-I columnist and founder of Sportspressnw.com is fed up
with people complaining that Seattleites don’t know how to drive in
the snow.

“If the hardy-har-hars in Los Angeles and elsewhere,
including transplants here who often laugh loudest, want to argue,
go ahead and take your Lexus to the top of Queen Anne Hill the next
time Danger Jim Forman puts on his yellow parka.I’ll meet
you at the body shop and you can tell me how it went.”

It’s hard to imagine, but a little over a week ago, I was
sitting on a beach in Australia and it was about 90 degrees.

Now I’m kicking back in the office, catching glimpses of the
Husky-Cal game and waiting for our designers in Texas to start
knocking out the pages of Friday’s sports section.

These Huskies are pretty good as individual players, but I don’t
know how good they are as a team. Cal seems to be slicing through
the UW defense pretty much at will, and until the Dawgs fix that,
they’re only dreaming about making it back to the NCAA tourney.

On the 13-hour flight from Sydney to San Francisco, I finally
read the book “Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football,
Crime, and Complicity.” If you’re a fan of college sports,
Washington Husky sports in particular, it’s a must read.

It’s an expose on the 2000 University of Washington football
team. A dozen of the players on Rick Neuheisel’s squad were
arrested sometime during their career — Jerramy Stevens multiple
times. Seattle prosecutors seemed to look the other way. Evidence
was pretty strong that Stevens should be charged with rape, but it
never happened even though he later settled a civil suit with the
fraternity that the girl belonged to. Curtis Williams, the player
who was paralyzed during a game at Stanford and eventually died,
was treated as a folk hero — but nobody seemed to know about his
long history of violence toward women and other crimes. It’s
a chilling tale of big-time college sports right in our own
backyard, written by Seattle Times investigative reporters Ken
Armstrong and Rick Perry. The book’s been out a while, but it
really makes you think about that winning at all costs mentality
that’s so prevalent in our society. The title? Scoreboard
Baby. Neuheisel uttered those words when he was the head coach
at Colorado. After his Buffaloes beat Oregon in the Aloha Bowl,
Ducks coach Mike Bellotti said the better team lost, Neuheisel
replied, “Scoreboard, baby.”

Here’s another good read that came out while I was down under.
Rick Anderson of the Seattle Weekly
writes about Mark Brunell, the former Husky QB who has been
forced to see sell his three Rose Bowl rings to pay off
debts. Brunell has earned more than $75 million as an NFL
quarterback, but has had to file for bankruptcy.

I just looked up, and the Huskies are making a run at the Bears,
but will they run out of time?

Snow means early deadlines. And that damned scoreboard page,
baby, better be on time.

Two of the nicest gentlemen to grace the Kitsap sporting scene —
both from Poulsbo — died over the weekend.

Lindley Smith, the father of Babe Ruth baseball in the North
Kitsap area, was 90 when he passed away. He helped a lot of NK
baseball players get started in the game and spent a lot of time
developing and improving Snider Park, where a field is named after
him.

Gausta, remembered for hauling in the king of king salmon — a
state-record 70-pound, 8-ounce lunker near Seiku in 1942 — died at
95. Gausta was also one of the top all-around athletes of his era
while growing up in Poulsbo. He was offered a basketball
scholarship to Washington State, but turned it down to go to
work.

Here’s a story written on
Gausta that was written by Chad Gillespie, our freelance
hunting and fishing writer at the time.

North Kitsap’s bringing a 13-year-old World Series to Kitsap
County this summer, and I’m sure Smith would have been popping his
buttons. Brent Stenman, one of the tournament directors, said they
were planning for Smith to throw out the ceremonial first
pitch.

Smith and Gausta were both inducted into the Kitsap Sports Hall
of Fame.

Here’s some stories you’ll find on our site or in the morning
paper about Washington’s 75-65 win over Washington State on Sunday
in Seattle:

Scott M. Johnson’s
game story centered on Terrence Ross, who showed why’s
projected to be the the Pac-12’s best NBA prospect by some, going
off for 30 points to lead Washington to a rousing comeback victory,
and the technical on coach Lorenzo Romar that seemed to inspire his
team.

Jim Moore,
the Go 2 Guy — who writes a weekly Monday column for us — took
his 7-year-old twins to the game. Needless to say, they left
disappointed.

Howie Stalwick’s
sidebar pointed out Washington’s dominance on the glass was a
big difference in the outcome. Of course, the Cougs have been
winning a lot of rebounding battles lately.

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Time writes about Ross, who scored
26 of his 30 points in the second. “He’s a freak athlete,” said
teammate Abdul Gaddy.

Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune captured the postgame
video and audio.

Also

Scott Johnson pointed out that Snohomish High School boys
basketball coach Len Bone sat two rows behind the WSU bench. Bone
is the older brother of Cougars coach Ken Bone, and he’s also the
father of UW team manager Kegan Bone. … Jon Brockman played for Len
Bone at Snohomish. … Ken Bone was the head coach at Olympic College
for the 1885-86 season. … Will DiIorio’s playing time has decreased
from earlier in the year. He’s played in 12 of WSU’s 17 games, but
just one conference game. He averages just 8.3 minutes, 1.3 points
and 1. 4 rebounds. The walkon 6-foot-5 sophomore from Bainbridge
didn’t get in Sunday’s game.

Got back to town this week in time to attend the Kitsap Sports
Hall of Fame Banquet.

The Kitsap Athletic Roundtable put on a first-class event and
I’m not saying that because I’m a board member. I didn’t have
anything to do with the banquet.

Dan Haas did a great job as the MC and the banquet room at
the Baymont Inn was perfect for the size of the crowd. I didn’t get
an exact number, but would guess there were about 200-225 people in
attendance.

Terry Mosher’s writing the mainbar, concentrating on the two
teams that were inducted — the 1983 South Kitsap state championship
baseball team and the 1921 Suquamish baseball team that featured
Louie George, the pitcher who made the “clam ball” famous.

Here’s a few odds and ends that I picked up:

Rill: Surrounded by good people
BREMERTON — The 24th annual Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame banquet was
nearing closure when one of the last inductees, former South Kitsap
and University of Washington football star David Rill, delivered a
message to his daughters, McKenzie, 14, and Elle, 11, who were
seated in the back of the room at the Baymont Inn on Saturday.
“When you guys look back, don’t remember me being up here,” said
Rill, an inside linebacker who became the No. 2 all-time leading
tackler in Husky history during his career. “Remember all the
people in this room who chose to be surrounded by good people.”
The class of 2011 — the induction ceremony was pushed back from its
orginal date in October by the sponsoring Kitsap Athletic
Roundtable — will be remembered as a classy group.
Helen Sturdivant said her late husband, the outgoing and friendly
E.L. “Sturdi” Sturdivant — a four-year football starter at
Washington State in the 1940s, a coach, educator, administrator,
community activist — would have enjoyed chatting it up with fellow
inductees.
“He was a man of high integrity as a husband, a father, a
grandfather and as a friend,” she said, summing up her feeling for
the man who was previously inducted into Hall of Fames in his
hometown of Montesano and at Humboldt State College, where he was
an assistant coach on an NAIA national championship team.
Sturdivant passed away in November of 2010. He was 85.

Carlson toughened Murphy up
Former Bremerton High and University of Washington basketball
player Al Murphy said you knew you were in good with coach Ken
Wills (he referred to Wills as “The Man”) when Wills let you borrow
his car to go to dances or events. “He let me use it three times,”
said the former director of payrolls for Boeing. “(Wills) treated
me so, so good. He prepared me for the University of
Washington.”
Murphy also paid homage to former classmate Jim Carlson, who was in
the crowd. He said Carlson was “very influencial,” in toughening
him up. Murphy said he kept getting knocked to the floor
during practices.
“Carlson told me to stick up for myself,” he said. “You don’t have
to hurt ‘em; just be firm.”

Motorsports a team sport, too
John Flesher, one of the original founders of the Handlers Car Club
who went on to become one of the Northwest’s top drag racers in the
1960s, said “motorsports back in those days wasn’t really thought
of as a sport — it was just something kids played around with. My
father changed his mind once I started bringing home a lot of
money.”
Like other sports, it took a team to succeed, he said, and the late
Frank Cooper and Larry Cain, who was in attendance, were his
team.
“They were very instrumental in any success I had,” he said before
personally thanking Cain from the podium.
Flesher said Connie (Cornelius, also known as Con) Fox, the father
of the Fox boys — Leon, Tom, Jim and Bob — “taught me more about
cars than just about anybody I can think of.”
Harry Penor, 79, was another inductee from the motorsports
world.
“I think was born with a wrench in my hand,” said the man who made
a deal with the Kitsap County Airport to use an old runway as a
dragstrip. He later bulldozed an entry to the strip at the end of
the Old Clifton Road and it continues to serve as the main entrance
to what is now Bremerton Raceway.
Penor still belongs to the Saints Car Club in Port Orchard.

Establishing a program
Ed Amick, the father of wrestling at North Mason, remembers the
Bulldogs practicing in the school cafeteria when it formed its
first team in 1964. They had to remove the chairs and tables, go
get the mats, tape them together, then put everything back together
after practice.
The Bulldogs were later banished to a small stage in the gymnasium.
He couldn’t blow his whistle, because it would stop the basketball
team from whatever it was doing. Coaches and wrestlers often rolled
off the narrow stage on to the gym floor, said Amick, a Hall of
Fame wrestling coach who is still involved the sport, assisting his
son, Ed, at North Kitsap. Amick left early to get back to the
Bainbridge Invitational, where NK was competing.

AlsoGary Eaton, recipient of the Dick Todd Officials
Award, is being inducted into the Kitsap County Bowling Hall of
Fame next Saturday. Eaton, 74, still carries a 200 average and
plays on a Portland-based 70s and older slowpitch team. “I’m not
going to be able to live with him,” joked his wife Debbie. …
Jan Hauschel thanked her longtime friends and
bowling teammates — Alison Eoff and Kristy Whitcher — for attending
Saturday’s festivities. Those three were part of a squad that won
seven consecutive state team titles in a row and a national team
championship. … The talented June Griebel (Fike)
earned 10 varsity letters during her high school career at South
Kitsap, lettering in volleyball, basketball, track and field,
tennis and cheerleading. In addition, she was a standout fastpitch
player for the Bremerton Legionettes in the summer. … Former South
Kitsap coach and athletic director Steve Reischman accepted on
behalf of former SK heavyweight wrestling champion Jim
Cutchall, who lives in Oklahoma, where he wrestled
collegiately before a neck injury ended his career at the end of
his sophomore season. “If I had to compare him to someone, it would
be Yogi Bear,” said Reischman. “He was a ho-ho (happy go-lucky kind
of guy).” … Former South Kitsap and Major League Baseball player
Jason Ellison, now living in Issaquah, was in
Arizona and unable to attend. One of a select few players to start
as a sophomore for Elton Goodwin, a lot of people
forget that the ultra-tough and athletic Ellison — 20-0 in three
years as a pitcher at South — placed seventh, third and third in
three state wrestling tournaments. .